Venice is arguably the most touristic city in Italy, or maybe Europe. Indeed, it is such a beautiful city that I decide to go anyway despite the frenetic tourist crowd. After staying in Venice for four entire days, here are some tips that I invite you to read through before you step into this most dreamy city. It could be a nightmare if you don’t know where to go, trust me.

1. Spend at least two full days in Venice, or any city in the world. The reason is pretty clear – how are you supposed to get the best out of a place if you just step out of a tourist bus and haven’t learned the transportation map yet? It is impossible to move around and spot any interesting locales if you are still having a headache trying to figure out where you are. In a city where streets and signs are so intricately woven into the fabric of the city to fool its ordinary visitors, you don’t want to fall into that trap. Stay at least two days to walk around, learn the main areas, and go to cafes to learn the local coffee specialty (probably every Italian city has some sort of coffee to claim its own).
2. Do get lost, occasionally. Before I went to Venice, a wise elder who is an expert of traveling in Italy told me, “getting lost in Venice is the best thing that could happen to you.” It turns out he is totally right. Narrow alleys, restaurants that will pop your heart out by showing the fish-killing process in front of customers, and little artist workshops fill up the city’s less-traveled streets. Travel off the beaten paths, and you will find the endless secrets of Venice.

3. Eat seafood, but at the right place. Venice is known for its fresh sea products. The renowned spaghetti with clams, not only a tourist must-try, is also the local favorite. Do some research about the most-loved bars by locals before you go, and plan yourself a bar hopping night: stop at lovely decorated bars with dim light, try a bit finger foods made of sea-to-table fish, and sing about your wonderful life.

Sunset in Venice

Neighborhood in Burano

Libreria Alta Acqua

Venice on the water

Island of Murano

Colorful Island of Burano

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2015 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Fall 2015, Jiaqi in Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.